1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to flexible bags of the soft luggage type and in particular to travel kits having multiple compartments for containing toiletry items.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Over the years, travel kits and the like bags for carrying toiletry items have proven to be popular. In general, it is desirable to provide a travel kit with an arrangement which allows easy access to the interior of the bag for ready insertion and extraction of various toiletry and other items. Several arrangements have been proposed for providing entry into the interior of a travel bag or the like article.
For example, U.S. Design Pat. No. 101,439 discloses an elongated, generally rectangular travel bag for toilet articles, having a single zipper extending the length of its top wall. A considerable amount of unfolding and reforming of the bag is required, once the zipper is opened. When made of a fairly rigid material such as leather, it is sometimes quite difficult to reform the upper portion of the bag so as to align the zipper tracks of the top wall portions, to allow advancement of a slide fastener therealong to close the travel bag.
Rather than collect all the various items one might carry in a single compartment, it is generally desirable to arrange different items in different compartments, each separated from the other by barriers that prevent intermixing of the contents. It is further desirable to provide separate access to the various compartments, provided the bag arrangement is not complicated or otherwise confusing to a user who, perhaps, uses the bag only infrequently.
Further, it is generally desirable to provide a bag, especially a bag having a variety of different access points, with an ability to be reassembled into a variety of different configurations, placing the different access points in positions of prominence.
Usually, bags of this type are intended to be placed on flat, horizontal surfaces when used, to provide stability as the articles are inserted in or withdrawn therefrom. However, a user, such as a traveler accessing toiletry articles from a bag, often finds that a convenient resting place for the bag is not available. It is therefore desirable to provide a bag with alternate support while accessing the contents therewithin, and while storing the bag when not in use.
Various arrangements have been provided for imparting different configurations to a bag. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,849 discloses a multi-compartment bag which is reversible. That is, the bag can be turned inside-out to displace a different color fabric on its outside surface. The bag has multiple compartments arranged side-by-side. Two inner compartments have expanded bottoms, being generally triangular in cross-section. If provided, outer compartments have cavities which are wedge-shaped or sharply pointed in cross-section, at their top and bottom ends. The bag has two sets of strap-like handles, one set exposed and ready for use, the other set disposed within the compartments, ready for use should the bag be turned inside-out. Access to the bag's interior is gained by placing the bag on a flat horizontal surface in a customary manner while a series of zippers is manipulated to allow insertion or extraction of the bag contents. Two expanded compartments are releasably connected with snap fasteners at their bottom portions, the expanded bottom of the inner compartments being formed by a separate horizontal wall providing an enlarged bottom support surface for the bag. The bag further includes upwardly-extending strap-like handles at its upper end, with which the bag may be carried from place to place. When provided, the outer compartments are formed by sewing planar fabric walls onto opposing planar fabric walls of the inner compartments. Hence, the cavities formed by the outer compartments are restricted in size, having cross-sections which are sharply pointed at their top and bottom portions. Access to the outer compartments is provided by zippers on the outer sides of those compartments.